Thieds to john h



. .2 sheetsf-sh'eet, 1. F. G. WINNEK.

TONGUB SUPPORT.

,070. Patented Peb. i4, 1888.` l'

(No Moda.) i -2 sheetssheet 2.

- F. `G. WINNER.

' TONGUB SUPPORT. y No. 378,070. Patented Peb..14, 1 888.

I... 1111" f fh` f y i i" Il I'i I. l" IVH .I HWI "muy .mi III Hl b i WITNESSES ,UNiTHD STATES 'ATENT OFFICE., 4

FREDERICK e. WINNER, or LEAVENWORTH, KANsAsAssIGNOn on 'rwo- THIHDs To JOHN H. ATWOOD AND THOMAS P. FENLON, JR., BOTH orl SAME PL ACE.

TONGUEFSUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,070, dated February 14, 1888.

i Appication filed November 4, 1887. Seria-l No. 254,2).63. 4(No model.) v

of the spring extends under and rests against yTo all whom/,it may concerne' Be it'known that LFREDHRIOK G. WINNEK, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and 5 State of Kansas, have invented new and usefullrnprovementsin Wagon-Tongue Supports,

of which the following is a specification.

My improvementrelates to devices for supporting wagon-tongues; and the object'of my improvement is to .provide for raising the tongue fromV its supported position by the driver from his position in the wagon when it may be desired to do so to relieve the horses7 shoulders, and particularly to raise the tongue up high out of the wayin the event of the horses running'away, and also to provide for Vrelieving the spring of the weight ofthe tongue by lowering the latter and its supportingspring when the wagon is not lin use. These objectsl attain by the construction shown inl the accompanying drawings, in whichlFigure l represents the fore wheels and tongue of the runninggear of a wagon having my improved tongue-support'applied thereto. Fig; 2 is a vertical section of thesame with the tongue supported in position to relieve the horses., Fig. 3 shows a similar section with the tongueraised up out of the way. Fig. 4 shows a similar section with the tongue lowered to the ground. Fig. 5 shows a -front view of the raising and lowering device and the tongue-support. Fig. 6 shows the springpawl-lever device for raising the tongue from the wagon-body, and Fig. 7 shows the winding-drum device. l

AThe fore wheels, axle, hounds, bolster, and bolster-pillarblock of a wagon are shown in the drawings, these being all the parts that are necessary to illustrate the use of my irn` 4o proved tongue-support.

The tongue is pivoted to the front ends of the hounds in the usual nianner by the crossbolt a, and for supporting the tongue I use a semi-elliptic spring, b, having its front end bent in the form of a U, the bent end having a slot,'c, in the length of the spring and fastened to the under side of the tongue by a bolt, d, passing through said slot,so that the spring y may have a certain play over the bolt in rais- 5o ing and lowering the tongue. The other, end

the axle, being retained in position in line with the tongue bya drive-loop, e, driveninto the under side of the axle.4 l,

The spring b is suspended in its supporting position by a chain, 0, hooked into a loop,f, embracing and riveted to the spring at the middle of its length; but the point of suspencsion,'instead of being from thehounds,is from the bolster part of thewagon, and it is to this part that the raising and lowering devices are secured.

To the front of the bolster and at one side of endsj, by which to turn the shaft to wind orn ground in hitching the team, or to lower the tongue to the ground when the team is unhitched. The necessary leverage for thus rais; ing the tongue is obtained by passing the chain unwind the chain to raise the tongue from thev over the pivot-bolt of the tongue, so that the tongue-bolt becomes the fulcrum of the lever in the pulling action of the chain upon the tongue; One of these pulley-brackets has a ratchet-pawl, 7c, which takes' into a ratchetwheel, Z, on the pulley,to hold-the latter from unwinding and the tongue when raised to the proper position. y

The outer end of the shaft has Va ratchetwheel, m, fixed thereon, and a hand-lever, u, mounted loosely thereon, provided with a check-pawl, r, working in said ratchet,to hold the shaft from unwin'ding.Y This lever is long enough and is so placed as to stand up by the side of the wagon body within convenient reachofthe driver, and is provided with a pivoted thumb-piece, s, connected by' a link to a weighted pawl, t, so as to wind the chain upon the pulley, when desired. By this lever attachment the tongue can be raised bythe driver up out of the way when the team isunhitched or in case the team should run away, and thus prevent collision with the tongue in the event of running into anything. The pawl i should be found any slack in the chain,so that the weight of the tongue is borne upon the horses shoulders, the driver can from his position in the body wind up the chain by the hand-lever and raise the tongue to the desired' height, and this advantage is obtained by attaching the support for the suspending device to the running-gear oi' the wagon.

The pulley device may be used without the hand-lever device.

I claim* 1. The` combination of the tongue and its supportingspring with a tongue raising and loweringr device attached to the running-gear and consisting of the suspending chain for the supporting spring, the pulley to which the chain is attached provided with thumb-handles, and a ratchet-wheeland a pawl pivoted to one of the supporting-brackets for said pnl ley, the said chain passing from said pulley to said spring over the tongue-bolt,substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the tongue and its supportingspring with a tongue-raising device attached to the bolster of the running, gear and consisting of a. pulley and shaft, a suspending chain connecting the spring and pulley, a ratchet, m, fixed upon the shaft, a han'dlcver, n, loosely mounted on the shaft, and a ratchet-pawl, t, controlled by said handlever, arranged to be operated by the driver to raise the tongue, as described.

3. In a wagon-tongue support, the winding v and unwinding device attached to the bolster, consisting of a shaft mounted in brackets hav ing a fixed pulley on one end provided with a. fixed end handle, j, and a ratchet-wl1eel, l, a

' paw1,7c,controlling said pulley,a fixed ratchet,

m, on the outer end of said shaft, and a loose hand-lever having a pawl, r, controlling said ratchet, in combination with a tongue supporting spring, arranged as described, and a chain connecting the pulley and spring, passing over the tongue-bolt, whereby the tongue is raised and lowered from the pulley end of the shaft and elevated by the driver with the hand-lever device, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK G. WVINNEK.

Witnesses:

W. D. BIDWELL, T. D. MACE. 

